General Considerations, 



223 



one can soon learn to get fond of. Prepared in this man- 

 ner, ground and compressed, they would doubtless keep 

 for a long time. Yet their consumption in large quanti- 

 ties in this form would not, I think, prove as wholesome as 

 when made into soup or broth ; for I found the chitinous 

 covering and the corneous parts — especially the spines on 

 the tibiae — dry and chippy, and somewhat irritating to the 

 throat. This objection would not apply with the same 

 force to the mature individuals, especially of larger spe- 

 cies, where the heads, legs and wings are carefully separ- 

 ated before cooking ; and, in fact, some of the mature 

 insects prepared in this way, then boiled and afterward 

 stewed with a few vegetables and a little butter, pepper, 

 salt and vinegar, made an excellent fricassee. 



Lest it be presumed that these opinions result from an 

 unnatural palate, or from mere individual taste, let me add 

 that I took pains to get the opinions of many other persons. 

 Indeed, I shall not soon forget the experience of my first culi- 

 nary effort in this line — so fraught with fun and so forcibly 

 illustrating the power of example in overcoming prejudice. 

 This attempt was made at a hotel. At first it was impos- 

 sible to get any assistance from the followers of the ars 

 coquinaria. They could not more flatly have refused to 

 touch, taste or handle, had it been a question of cooking 

 vipers. Nor love nor money could induce them to do 

 anything, and in this respect the folks of the kitchen were 

 all alike, without distinction of color. There was no other 

 resource but to turn cook myself, and, operations once 

 commenced, the interest and aid of a brother naturalist 

 and two intelligent ladies were soon enlisted. It was most 

 amusing to note how, as the rather savory and pleasant odor 

 went up from the cooking dishes, the expression of horror 

 and disgust gradually vanished from the faces of the curi- 

 ous lookers on, and how, at last, the head cook — a stout 



